One of the key points that I'll try to stress over the course of this election cycle is that although it is important for the presidential candidates to fare well in the national news, many (if not most) voters actually get their news locally. As a result, it is beneficial to examine coverage of the campaign by important city- and statewide newspapers. As I'm a native of Oregon and tend to read my local papers (you can see the links to them on my site), I'll try to keep the blogosphere up to date on the writing of The Oregonian.

Today's Oregonian picks up a story from the LA Times-Washington Post Service on the Edwards selection. A news analysis piece by the Post's Dan Balz, originally with the headline "Edwards's Credentials a Likely Target," is a balanced assessment of John Kerry's choice of a running mate; by reading the headline first (or only, as many do), one gets the impression that the Edwards pick was controversial, if not a weak pick. What is more, the article summary, located directly under the headline, reads "Kerry Campaign Overlooked Inexperience for Charisma," also implying a less than satisfactory choice.

The Oregonian frames the story differently, though. Although changes of the headlines and summaries might seem inconsequential to some, in the case of the Balz article, they makes a significant difference.

In The Oregonian's version of the Balz article, which shows up on the front page like original Post piece, the headline reads as follows: "Edwards pick shows Kerry's confidence." Below this, the summary states, "Sen. John Edwards adds energy to the Democratic ticket and a voice for middle-class Americans."

Clearly, anyone reading the article in The Oregonian will get a different impression a reader of The Washington Post. Whereas the original reeks of the negative spin that the Republicans successfully placed on the story on the national level, the local piece is framed in a positive light, changing the entire tenor of the article. As a result, Oregonians will get the impression of a strong and confident Kerry rather than a weak and overcalculating Kerry.

As I've noted before, The Oregonian is the premier news source in the state of Oregon, one of the handful of swing states that pundits predict will decide the election. It is a newspaper that on October 22, 2000 endorsed George W. Bush for President, one of the key factors in limiting Al Gore's margin of victory in the state to a little more than 5,000 out of more than 1.5 million votes cast. For the paper to overtly choose to reframe the articles it picks up from wire services in a distinctly pro-Kerry light, especially given their endorsement of Bush four years ago, it is a stark change.

I'm not certain whether this significant change is emblematic of the changing perceptions of the national electorate against the President, as some would argue, or if this was merely an instance of poor copy editing. Nevertheless, when the news media in a swing state begins to favor the challenger in the election, whether overtly or not, that in and of itself is a news story; if George W. Bush is reading this blog (highly unlikely), or even if his politicos are reading The Oregonian, it might be time for them to start panicking. If the floodgates aren't closed soon, this election could be a blowout, just like 1980.